I think that my son always suspected it but now he is 100% certain that I am the coolest dad ever. Through some clever negotiation and outlaying of cash, I managed to procure a shiny new KMX trike for Christmas. When he saw it sitting there all shiny and red beneath the tree he was more than a little bit pleased.

For those that don’t know, the K-Class is a child-sized tadpole trike. KMX designed the K-Class for the BMX crowd (Get it??? “K”-MX instead of “B”-MX) and it is equipped accordingly. Mag wheels, heavy duty mild steel frame, handguards, etc… For any child who has at least a passing interest in their father’s or mother’s recumbent bicycle habit, a KMX K-Class is about the best gift they could hope for.

It definitely looks the part. Everything about the KMX from it’s paint job to the machined chainring is very aggressive. The seat base is well padded and the seat back is sort of a cushioned roll bar affair. I think that most adults wouldn’t be particularly comfortable on a similar arrangement but I’m sure most kids won’t mind a bit.

My son, Parker, is actually a bit younger than the KMX target range. He’s five and a half and KMX says the K-Class is for kids 7-12. However, he’s a bit tall for his age and I measured to make sure that he would fit the trike before ordering it (he’s at the extreme edge of the range). The K-Class has a huge range of adjustment and should fit him for a good long while.

He is a bit young to grasp the concept of gears yet, but there are five speeds available to him once he’s ready. The parts are pretty basic Shimano stuff but they’ll work for now. I’m already envisioning an upgrade involving a Mountain Drive and an eight or nine speed rear wheel for when he’s older. (See these things can be fun for dad too!)

I already knew that he was able to handle hand-operated brakes so I wasn’t too worried about him being able to stop. The KMX has dual front drum brakes built into the Nylon wheels and a rear V-Brake. The drums do all of the stopping and have plenty of power for this trike’s intended use. The rear brake is really just for sliding around and pulling tricks. I’m usually NOT a big fan of rear wheel brakes on tadpoles but I guess this is a kid’s trike and he hasn’t managed to flip it yet.

The KMX weights 16kg which is not light by any stretch of the word. Few children are weight weenies though and this does seem to be pretty standard for kid’s bikes. Parker’s two wheel upright is even a bit heavier.

I am obviously a bit to big to actually ride the K-Class and give my own opinion so you’ll have to rely on my dear son’s rather enthusiastic evaluation…

PARKER’S COMMENTS

Parker can speak two languages and plays a tolerable harmonica (which is pretty good for a five year old if I do say so myself) but he hasn’t quite mastered the typewriter yet so I’ll transcribe his comments for you. And yes… he does really talk like this.

My trike is my favorite thing. Every time I ride it, I think it’s cooler and cooler. It’s cooler than you can imagine. The seat is comfortable after a few minutes. My hands are small so the brakes are hard to use but I can still stop when I have to. It is very very very fast. I feel like I am faster than Clark Kent. (Parker is a big Smallville fan) It’s faster than I ever expected. When all my friends see it they will say, “Hey that’s a cool trike! I want my mommy and daddy to buy me one!” I can’t wait to ride it to school! That’s all I have to say.

The little guy doesn’t care too much about techie stuff and he didn’t really have much to say about the handling other than, “It’s fun!”.

FUN FOR YOUNG AND OLD

At a retail price of £255 the KMX is a pretty major investment for a child’s trike. And with its wide range of adjustment, the K-Class should grow with your child. It also seems to be pretty robust. I’m fairly certain that Parker’s KMX will be around long enough to become his little sister’s first recumbent as well. There is a US Distributor now (contact at USA@kmxkarts.com) but I wasn’t able to get any firm prices yet.

So far, the KMX is the best recumbent option I’ve found for children. I only wish there was a two wheel option that was just as good. Parker’s already a bit late on removing the training wheels and I’m fairly certain that his “regular” two wheeler will sit and collect dust now that the KMX is here.

My biggest concern with the KMX is the small profile it presents when going down the road. We live in a rural area but I still wouldn’t let him take it out on the street without me right next to him. It has a safety flag and high mounted reflectors but it still looks very tiny going down the road. I know that this will probably be a parking lot machine for most kids so I may be making too much out of it. I never got run over on my Big Wheel when I was little.

Parker obviously likes the KMX but it has also been a real joy to me. We’ve gone out triking together just around the neighborhood a few times since we got the KMX (me on my XXL, he on the KMX) and it has been a real blast. I have to slow up when I’m with him but not as much as I thought I would have to.

Parker’s a pretty smart kid and he’s already talking like a recumbent veteran. Whenever we both manage to infuriate his mother at the same time he always says, “Dad, let’s just go ride our trikes until she calms down.”

EDITOR’S NOTE – There is an adult KMX trike now. It’s called the X-Class and retails for £595. The last I spoke to KMX, the distributor was hoping for a sub $1500 price in the US. Ours has been ordered and we should have a review by the end of February.